Don’t base opinions on sound bites

The people who are the most convinced about the guilt of Casey Anthony remind me of the old cowboy whose horse was stolen. Upon finding a suspect the cowboy insisted that he be hanged. Someone in the crowd mentioned that the suspect hadn’t had a trial or been found guilty. “All right” said the cowboy “let’s give him a trial then hang him.”

In the case of Casey Anthony it seems that the most vocal and convinced of her guilt are probably the ones who avoid jury duty at any cost and read no more than the headlines of the newspaper accounts of the trial. Unfortunately, it’s easy to make up one’s mind based on 10-second TV news accounts but quite another to be a juror or listen and pay attention to all of the evidence. They are likely the ones who will buy the book that she is almost certain to write and pay to watch the movie that is likely to be made about the case and trial, for which she will be paid obscene amounts of money on a crime that they are convinced she is guilty of.

David Lackowski

Wheeling